As N.S. domestic abuse rises, daughter of murdered woman seeks more open discussion
CTV
The daughter of a Nova Scotia woman killed by her husband is calling for greater public discussion about domestic violence, saying she learned too late about the warning signs in her mother's relationship.
The daughter of a Nova Scotia woman killed by her husband is calling for greater public discussion about domestic violence, saying she learned too late about the warning signs in her mother's relationship.
Brenda Tatlock-Burke was killed on Oct. 18, 2024, and since then four other Nova Scotia women have been killed by men who then took their own lives. Tatlock-Burke's daughter, Tara Graham, said in an interview Friday that it was heartbreaking for her family to hear of the latest deaths.
On Sunday, investigators found the body of a 60-year-old woman in Mahone Bay, N.S., who they say was killed by her partner before he killed himself. Another high-profile case occurred on New Year's Eve in Halifax, when a woman and her father were shot dead in a car by the woman's boyfriend.
Graham said more campaigns and public conversations about intimate partner violence are needed to help families and friends recognize if their loved ones are at risk.
Graham, a learning assistant and nurse who lives in Cochrane, Alta., said there had been a long history of her mother's husband, Mike Burke, being possessive and controlling. But Graham said her family wasn't aware the former Mountie's behaviour was a sign he posed a danger to the 59-year-old Tatlock-Burke.
"There needs to be more conversation and more understanding on the signs that people can look out for," she said in a telephone interview.
Graham said Burke had pressured her mother to limit her relationship with her own children, controlled her finances and was often jealous of any friendships or social activities that he wasn't directly involved in.
